Cabin Fever Arts Festival February 27, 2010

The days may be short and the weather may be taking its toll, but there’s always something to look forward to in February—the Cabin Fever Arts Festival.

This annual free event is organized by the Appalachian Artists Guild in conjunction with Southern State Community College’s art department, sponsor of the Area High School Art Showcase, an exhibition and competition with winners announced the day of the festival.

A celebration of traditional Appalachian arts and culture, the Cabin Fever Arts Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Southern State’s Appalachian Gateway Center, 12681 U.S. 62, Sardinia, Ohio. There will be food, live music, workshops, displays and 41 artisan booths.

ARTS & CRAFTS VENDORS

Arts and crafts vendors for the 2010 festival include: Pike County Farm LLC (woodland products, woodcraft, photography, picture frames, cutting boards and peg boards); Cattail Acres Gourmet (jams, preserves, fruit bitters, specialty baked goods); Weavefemina (hand-woven rugs); Sue’s Wearable Art (appliquéd clothing); Strands of Grace (baskets, beaded jewelry, crocheted and knitted items); Mill Branch Soap (natural olive oil soaps and lotions, and cold-process liquid soap); The Wooden Gift Shop (wood scrollsaw items, flowers, boxes, bookmarks, bears, ornaments and keychains); Jaybird Farms (dried florals, homemade jams and jellies, herbal crafts and fudge); Dave’s Welding (barn stars and wrought iron items); Gabby’s Grace (tote bags, purses and angels); Eyes of Wonder Cards (photo greeting cards); Bowman Studio (acrylic paintings of animals, portraits and totem paintings); and Sunflower Sundries Farm (organic soap, jams, mustard and corn meal).

Several of the artists will also be demonstrating how they create their work.

HIGH SCHOOL ART SHOWCASE

Don’t miss the annual Area High School Art Showcase Exhibition, a collaboration of Southern State Community College and the Appalachian Artisans Guild, which will be on display throughout the Cabin Fever Arts Festival event. This year’s exhibition will feature 495 entries from area students in grades 9-12.

An awards ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, honoring the winners in several categories, including ceramics, computer-generated art, drawing, fiber art, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video. Winners will be recognized in each category, as well as best-of-school and best-of-show awards. One young artist will be named the Appalachian Artisans Guild Cabin Fever Award winner.

The winner of the Visual Arts Scholarship—open to all high school seniors—will also be announced at that time. Those interested in applying for the art scholarship to Southern State Community College will need to complete an SSCC scholarship application, complete an essay outlining career interest in the art field, submit an entry in the Area High School Art Showcase Exhibition, and participate in a portfolio review. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact James Werline at 1-800-334-6619, ext. 3669.

The high school showcase exhibition will be on display Feb. 25-27 at the Appalachian Gateway Center on Southern State Community College’s south campus in Sardinia. High school students in the Southern State service area—Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette and Highland counties—were invited to submit up to three pieces of original artwork. Professional artists were asked to be jurors for this year’s competition.

WORKSHOPS & DISPLAYS

Six workshops will be offered during the Cabin Fever Arts Festival. Each workshop includes a fee and preregistration required. Participants must be at least 12 years of age. To register, send an email to member@appartguild.com. Payment can be made the day of the festival.
Workshops include:

• Heirloom Egg, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Learn the old Hungarian art of etching designs on dyed eggs. $10 fee.

• Soap Making, 11 a.m.: Create scented liquid soap to take home; workshop will include instruction on the natural liquid soap process; dispensing bottle with pump, liquid soap, essential oil and/or fragrance oil will be provided. $15 fee.

• Sleeping Mouse, 11:30 a.m.: Make one mouse sleeping in walnut shell and take home supplies to make two more. $10 fee.

• Beginning Dulcimer, 1 p.m.: Participate in a one-hour introductory class for beginners; participants must bring their own instruments. $10 fee.

• Silver Clay Jewelry, 2 p.m.: Use blow dryers and Dremel tools to make a five-gram fine silver necklace; class lasts two hours. $25 fee.

• Mountain Dulcimers—Jam with Sue, 2:30 p.m.: Music and instruction will be provided for a jam session adapted to all levels of experience; participants must bring instruments and stands. $2 fee.

On display will be handcrafted quilts by three Highland County quilting groups—Bits and Pieces (Greenfield), Country Quilters (Hillsboro) and Highland County Quilters (Hillsboro)—as well as a Civil War display by the U.S. Grant Homestead Association celebrating the life and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant and the Brown County Civil War soldiers. As part of the display, the association will fill a room with photographs and displays of weapons, maps, equipment and food to illustrate the lifestyle, struggles and accomplishments of the local Civil War solider.

The Master Gardeners of Adams County will be donating their time to assist with registering guests, providing information, handing out door prizes and helping guests navigate the building. They also will be manning their own booth to answer questions about their organization.

MORE INFORMATION

Founded in 1994, the Appalachian Artists Guild is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of artists and artisans in the southern Ohio River Valley. The organization strives to preserve the traditional handmade arts of Appalachia and to promote the contemporary artistic expressions of regional artists and artisans. To learn more, visit www.appartguild.com.
For more information about Southern State Community College, please visit www.sscc.edu or call 1-800-628-7722.

Official Website: http://www.appartguild.com